Destiny Image Books by Kevin Basconi
Dancing with Angels 1—How To Work With The Angels In Your Life Dancing with Angels 2—The Role of the Holy Spirit and Open Heavens in Activating Angelic Encounters in Your Life
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A ngel s in the R e a l m s of
He av en The Reality of Angelic Ministry Today
Kevin Basconi
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© Copyright 2012–Kevin Basconi All rights reserved. This book is protected by the copyright laws of the United States of America. This book may not be copied or reprinted for commercial gain or profit. The use of short quotations or occasional page copying for personal or group study is permitted and encouraged. Permission will be granted upon request. Unless otherwise identified, Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All emphasis within Scripture quotations is the author’s own. DESTINY IMAGE PUBLISHERS, INC. ® P.O. Box 310, Shippensburg, PA 17257-0310 “Promoting Inspired Lives.” This book and all other Destiny Image, Revival Press, MercyPlace, Fresh Bread, Destiny Image Fiction, and Treasure House books are available at Christian bookstores and distributors worldwide. For a U.S. bookstore nearest you, call 1-800-722-6774. For more information on foreign distributors, call 717-532-3040. Reach us on the Internet: www.destinyimage.com. ISBN 13 TP: 978-0-7684-0291-9 ISBN 13 Ebook: 978-0-7684-8798-5 For Worldwide Distribution, Printed in the U.S.A. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 / 16 15 14 13 12
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This book is dedicated to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. without You Guys none of this would have been possible!
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Acknowledgment I want to thank my wonderful wife, Kathy, for her enduring love, kindness, patience, long hours of proofreading, and help with the entire process of writing these books. I love you! I want to personally thank the editors who worked on this book whoever you are! Fine Job!
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Endorsements When Kevin Basconi had his encounters with angels and visited the heavenly realms, it transformed his life and drew him into the secret place of intimacy. I believe as you read these amazing third heaven experiences, the anointing for deeper intimacy with God will rub off on you. Sid Roth Host, It’s Supernatural! Kevin is the real deal. He has almost daily encounters with heaven and the angelic and sees unusual miracles as a result on the earth. Kevin will take you on a journey that will open your eyes to the realm of heaven like you have never known before. "On earth as it is in heaven" will take on a whole new literal meaning as you read this book. You will also discover an entire host of angels waiting to minister with you and accelerate everything you are called to do as your intimacy with God explodes into new levels you never knew existed. David Herzog Author of Glory Invasion Co-host of "The Glory Zone" TV show www.thegloryzone.org
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I don’t know anyone better positioned to challenge you to rise above powerless living and embrace the reality of heaven than Kevin Basconi. For too long Christians have embraced a miniscule vision of what our heavenly home will look like, and what angels are doing in heaven today is satisfied with merely marveling at the supernatural experiences we see in the Bible. Kevin casts a bold vision for what the reality of heaven was always designed to look like. Kevin’s combination of revelation, raw passion, and practicality will move you to want to live at a higher level of the supernatural and equip you to get there. This book is enthralling and moves you to believe in the impossible as you learn more fully the reality of heaven. Angels in the Realm of Heaven has my highest recommendation! Brian Lake Founder, Brian Lake Ministries Senior Pastor,Keepers of the Flame International Church Author, Romancing the King Kevin Basconi’s trilogy is full of insight, revelation, and records of fascinating encounters he has had with angels and the supernatural realm of the Kingdom of God. In his third book in the Dancing with Angels series, Angels in the Realms of Heaven, he vividly shares the duties and activities of God’s angels in their specific assignments in Heaven. You will read detailed accounts of Kevin’s heavenly experiences in the past ten years in addition to descriptions of various terrains in the Father’s domain. The reality of Heaven will be awakened in you as you read this book. Patricia King Founder, XPministries XPmedia.com Kevin has done it again! Angels in the Realms of Heaven will inspire, intrigue, and amaze you. Most importantly, reading this book will demonstrate the practical side of hearing and seeing what God is doing in
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your life. Kevin gives firsthand examples of how encounters he has had gave insight and direction for the actions he needed to take. The bottom line: hearing from God is very practical! You will walk away from reading this book with a renewed passion for knowing what your Father is doing as well as tangible insights into how you can experience the realms of Heaven. Thank you—and way to go, Kevin! Alan Koch Senior Pastor Christ Triumphant Church Lee’s Summit, Missouri Kevin Basconi is one of those rare gems in the Kingdom of God who affords the Body of Christ, and the world, the wonderful opportunity to see beyond the veil into the heavenly realms. His personal experiences with the Lord and with Heaven and angels will energize your faith. His writings, without a doubt, will awaken your imagination to a whole new world of eternal hope. Michael A. Danforth Mountain Top International Yakima, Washington In Angels in the Realm of Heaven, Kevin takes you on incredible journeys into Heaven! His thrilling testimonies will fascinate you and create great hunger for more intimacy with God. Just as his dramatic heavenly encounters with angels radically changed his life, you too can have life-transforming angelic encounters as you read this awe-inspiring book. Gary Oates Author, Open My Eyes, Lord International Conference Speaker In Angels in the Realm of Heaven, Kevin Basconi, through his own personal encounters, gives us some inspirational and encouraging
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glimpses into the inheritance reserved and awaiting every believer in Jesus. Although Kevin does a wonderful job in explaining what he saw and experienced, it is obvious no words can even begin to fully describe what Heaven is like. Reading this book leaves the reader with an almost unexplainable longing and hope for what eternity holds. It also will ignite within you a hunger to experience what the Lord meant when He said in Ephesians how He has “raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” David White Pastor MorningStar Fellowship Church Moravian Falls, North Carolina In John 1.51, Jesus makes this declaration: "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." We live in an hour where the reality of this statement is being fulfilled, and the realms of heaven and angelic ministry according to Hebrews 1.7,14 are opening and escalating. Kevin is a man who over the past decade has had many experiences which confirm this dynamic of the Kingdom Of Heaven. In this book, Angels In the Realms of Heaven, Kevin shares his journey, recounting personal testimonies, and establishing a solid Scriptural foundation for these kinds of life changing encounters with Christ and His Kingdom, and encourages the reader to access the realms of Heaven and embark on their own journeys with Jesus. Pastor Scott Nelson New City Church Kalamazoo, Michigan It’s fascinating to take part of Kevin’s experiences of interacting with angels. These revelations bring forth insight and knowledge of spiritual keys from the Master’s hand, and they are very precious. And then the Spirit of truth will guide you in line with the Word to the glory to God.
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Those who are workers for Christ should yearn to be like in Isaiah 49:2 "In his quiver he hid me", to attain his eternal purpose.  To be hidden long in secret places where all supernatural experience have been birthed, where the ordinary church people can awaken their spiritual senses hungering and thirsting for the reality of the heavenly realms, where the Lord says: "I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places" Isa. 45:3.We have the privilege of knowing Kevin and Kathy for several years. They have been a great inspiration for us, and during the last year the Lord in His grace has increased the frequency of open heavens, angelic visitations, and visions in our lives.We hope that this book will give you a hunger for more of the Lord and His Heaven along with an understanding of the heavenly realities. Pastor Per and Majbritt Altsved Christ’s Church, Stockholm Sweden
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Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know (John 14:1-4).
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Contents
Prologue..............................................................19
Introduction The Assignment of Angels.........................31 Chapter 1
The Genesis.................................................................41
Chapter 2
The Father’s House.............................................. 51
Chapter 3
A Vision of Religion........................................... 61
Chapter 4
The Weeping Room—A Heavenly Encounter...........................................................71
Chapter 5
Washed by the Blood........................................83
Chapter 6
The Libr ary Part 1 Heavenly Places......................................................95
Chapter 7
The Reading Room............................................103
Chapter 8
The Libr ary Part 2 Secret Places..........................................................113
Chapter 9
The Libr ary Part 3—The Vault of Mantles............................................................... 119
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Chapter 10
The Libr ary Part 4—Spare Body Parts.................................................................131
Chapter 11
Exploring Psalm 23—The River of Revelation........................................................143
Chapter 12
The Lord’s Manicured Gardens........... 151
Chapter 13
The Fountain of the Water of Life.................................................161
Chapter 14
Psalm 23—Suffer Not the Little Children..........................................169
Chapter 15
The Father’s Vineyard....................................177
Epilogue
Heaven and You...................................................189
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Prologue Please allow me to start by stating emphatically: “It’s all about You, Jesus.” In the first two books of this trilogy, the majority of the angelic visitations or encounters that are depicted occurred upon the earth or in the “terrestrial realm.” In this third book, I share a number of dramatic “heavenly” angelic encounters. These kinds of heavenly, angelic testimonies are referred to throughout both of the preceding books in this trilogy. The stage for the third book of this trilogy was set by one of the final two chapters of the second book entitled Anointed to Reign as Priests and Prophets and Understanding Your Role as a Royal Priest After the Order of Melchizedek. In those concluding chapters of the second book, I describe powerful “third heaven” or “heavenly” angelic visitations or angelic encounters that transpired in the “courtroom of Heaven.” I encouraged you that these types of experiences were modeled for us by Jesus Christ, and they are freely available to us today. Those testimonies preview, or foreshadow more testimonies of this heavenly or supernatural nature. They were designed to lay a foundation, prepare your heart, and open the door for the powerful contents of this third book. i 19 j
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Angels in the Realms of Heaven
Jesus Himself referred to these kinds of supernatural experiences and heavenly places in John 14:1-6: Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know. Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” In my previous two books in the Dancing With Angels series, How to Work with the Angels in Your Life and The Role of the Holy Spirit and Open Heavens in Activating Angelic Encounters in Your Life, I have enumerated upon many angelic visitations and outlined scriptural principles that can open the realm of angelic activity to ordinary folks. Again, most of the angelic visitations and encounters documented in the first two books of this trilogy were illustrations of angelic visitations that occurred upon the earth or in the temporal realm. In this book, I share with you many other angelic encounters that occurred in the spiritual or heavenly realm. I do not wish to enter into the semantics of the location concerning these angelic encounters. However, I can safely say that they all transpired in the “heavenly realms.” It is not really important if these encounters transpired in the third heaven, the seventh heaven, or in which part or realm of Heaven. What is important is that these encounters with Christ and His angels took place in heavenly places. As a result, I can relate to you detailed portraits and descriptions of the places that I walked through in Heaven, or the heavenly realms. These angelic experiences occurred in the spiritual realm, but that does not invalidate their importance or impact upon my life. Hopefully these testimonies will encourage and inspire you as you read them. In fact, several people who have read excerpts from this book were moved to tears of hope and joy. Heaven is a real place; and this i 20 j
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Prologue
book describes Heaven’s appearance and heavenly activity with clarity and great detail. This book was actually birthed back in 2001. As a new believer, the Lord instructed me to write and record the supernatural encounters that I was experiencing. I chronicled most of the heavenly experiences and angelic visitations recorded in this book in 2001 and 2002. However, I also have included other significant heavenly angelic encounters from more recent dates. Most of the early angelic experiences were documented immediately after I would “return” to my little house at 121 Beech Street from the realm of the heavens. Those original documents have been transcribed, edited, and written in this book in their original context with minor grammatical corrections and occasional addendums for clarity.
Fresh and Pristine The point is that these angelic and heavenly visitations have a fresh and pristine character. These testimonies and accounts of Heaven are unadulterated by indoctrination into any system of dogmatic religious doctrinal belief structure. They are based squarely on the content of the canon of Scripture and searching my old King James Bible. They are based upon my encounters with the Messiah, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. He is not dead, He is alive, and He still visits folks today to minister to them one on one. Jesus still leaves the ninety-nine to go after the one lost sheep. He still loves each of us with a supernatural love that is impossible for us to comprehend with our human intellect. In other words, the experiences documented in this book are the innocent renderings of events as written down by a “babe in Christ.” At the time many of these heavenly experiences were recorded, I was not well-read, nor had I studied the Bible to any great degree. In my opinion, this fact lends validity to these simple, supernatural and ethereal observations of a new believer. As I was preparing this manuscript, I was in the process of transcribing these digitally recorded documents into a usable format to submit to the publisher. During this time I prayed about the Lord’s purpose for this i 21 j
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Angels in the Realms of Heaven
book. I hope that these simple testimonies of my experiences in Heaven will in some way inspire and build in you a sense of your heavenly home. I will share these experiences as unpretentiously as possible, and I have sought to include the dates that each episode transpired where possible. In the passage of Scripture quoted from John 14, Jesus speaks of “My Father’s house” and “many mansions.” Jesus also told us that He was the “way” to the Father’s mansions. Since these events began to transpire over a decade ago, I have had a lot of time to pray and seek the Lord about them. I have meditated upon what I experienced, and I have pondered them in my heart repeatedly for more than ten years. Assuredly I say to you that I was reluctant to share them at all. I consider these heavenly experiences holy and special kisses from the Messiah. I have asked the Lord what I was really experiencing and where exactly I was taken to in these heavenly experiences. It is possible that the large stone castle or home that I visited in the heavens was actually my heavenly mansion or home. However, it is also possible that I also visited the Father’s actual house on numerous occasions (see John 14:2). I believe that I was actually in Heaven during these experiences. I will describe these places in great detail and hopefully give you glimpses into the realms of Heaven. Along this journey we will also see how angels move about, appear, and seem to “work” in the heavenly realms. May we all greet one another in that place one day. Heaven is real! And Christ has already prepared a place for you to dwell with Him in Paradise. Your heavenly home awaits you.
Father’s House The words “Father’s house” found in John 14 can be literally translated as oikia, meaning: properly a residence or home (abstractly), but usually (concretely) an abode (literally or figuratively); referring to an actual structure or building, and by implication the property of a single family (especially domestics): -home, house (-hold).1 i 22 j
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Prologue
It is possible that Jesus is referring to our heavenly inheritance as an engrafted child of God.2 We are a valuable part of God’s extended family. We are sons and daughters of God. You are a joint heir with Christ who has a supernatural inheritance laid up for you in the heavenly realms. Personally, I find this quite exciting, and I hope that this book will spark your interest and passion to press into the Kingdom of God and receive your heavenly inheritance. By the way, you need not die to visit Heaven. However, the Bible clearly teaches and illustrates that we have a real home to look forward to in Heaven when we die and depart from this earth or temporal realm. Our spirits will live on for eternity with Christ in the realms of Heaven—provided that we believe that Jesus Christ is our Messiah, or Savior, and we choose to accept God’s offer of free salvation. Entering Heaven is conditional, and we must choose it. Jesus uses the Greek word menό. John 14 is saying that there are “many mansions” in His Father’s house, or in Heaven; the Greek word menό is similar to oikia. Again, meaning a place to stay, a residence, an abode or mansion.3 Finally, when the Lord says that He would go and prepare “a place” for us, He is referring to: a spot (generally in space, but limited by occupancy that is, location (as a position, home, tract of land, etc.). 4 Jesus is saying that He is giving to us or preparing for us an excellent opportunity, or specifically a legal or licensed place, quarter, room, or building that we may occupy freely. Those who choose Christ’s salvation and Heaven will not be required to toil to pay rent. There will be no mortgages in our heavenly homes. Nor will we be required to till the ground to grow the food that we will eat. We will not be nourished by our own labors or the sweat of our brows. The implication is Paradise or Heaven, God’s abode. Paul the apostle was also taken up or caught up into the realms of heaven and also saw Paradise. There is actually quite a bit of biblical evidence for these kinds of heavenly encounters or supernatural experiences. There are numerous examples of this throughout the Bible. Therefore, the kinds of experiences that are illustrated in this book are thoroughly biblical.5 i 23 j
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Angels in the Realms of Heaven
In John 14:1-6, Jesus is referring to the period of time after His resurrection. That is the hour that we live in now. It is only through the finished work of Christ and the atonement of Calvary that God forgave us and gave us this hope of accessing our heavenly home. It is only through the shed blood of Christ that covers humankind’s sins that can we ascend into the heavens. Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Jesus is the only legal means to access Heaven.
Jesus Is the Key This is a very important key to accessing these kinds of heavenly experiences and angelic visitations. We must come to the Father and to the Father’s house or heavenly places through Christ. A person can access the realms of Heaven while they live upon the earth or in this temporal realm though spiritual experiences. Anyone can do this. Hopefully you will also access Heaven when you die and live in Heaven as an eternal spirit. However, as I taught in the second book of this trilogy, you can also access the realms of Heaven as a priest after the order of Melchizedek in this lifetime. You can visit Heaven now. It was those kinds of experiences that radically transformed my life in the natural realm. When I would return to the earth from the heavenly realms, the grace and favor of God began to manifest in my life in an amazingly accelerated manner. When the reality of Christ’s atonement became real to me, I began to understand the authenticity of who I am in Christ. The Lord initiated a metamorphosis within my life and circumstances. Jesus took me from sickness to health. He took me from hopelessness to happiness. The Messiah transformed my mindset and took me from poverty to prosperity in the natural realm. All of these wonderful blessings unfolded in my life in a supernaturally quick and efficient manner once I began to visit Heaven. Supernatural grace and favor with both God and man are the fruit of heavenly visitations. I suppose that it could be said that the “fragrance of Heaven” attached itself to me, and when I returned to the earthly realms, my i 24 j
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Prologue
life was translated into a Kingdom of Heaven lifestyle. My mindset was renewed, and I began to think from a Christlike perspective—and that transformation of my mindset revolutionized every aspect of my life. This same Kingdom of Heaven is available to you too, and you can also have your life transformed and revolutionized in a similar, supernatural fashion. The testimonies of angelic visitations and encounters that I shared in the first two books focused upon angelic encounters that occurred within the temporal realm. In other words, those angelic visitations occurred upon the earth, or within the earthly realm. For the most part, the angelic visitations and testimonies that I outlined in the first two books were examples of angelic visitations that happened in the natural realm. Those angelic encounters happened on earth and affected people’s physical bodies. At times this resulted in the release of various kinds of miracles or healings. Many of those previous testimonies were what can be termed as “open eyed” angelic encounters. Those angels were seen, felt, heard, smelled, tasted, or sensed and encountered by the person’s five carnal senses. Some scholars call these the five traditional senses of the human body. In the testimonies of angelic visitations in this third book of the trilogy, we are going to examine angelic encounters that transpired in the spiritual realm—more specifically, in Heaven. In the first two books of this trilogy, I expressed my belief that the Lord Jesus Christ was releasing His children to begin to co-labor with His angelic host in an accelerated manner. A few of the testimonies shared were taken from supernatural experiences where we encountered angels in the realms of Heaven. Some call these places the third heaven. No matter what terminology you choose to describe where these angelic encounters took place, the fact remains that these experiences were very real, life-changing, and they also give us glimpses into the realms of Heaven. In book 2, I detailed how I was introduced to angels in a time of prayer by the Messiah. I described how I was taken into the very presence i 25 j
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Angels in the Realms of Heaven
of Jesus as a new Christian. From the very beginning of my walk with Jesus, the supernatural aspects of the Lord have been evident in my life. The Lord used angelic ministry to trigger the reality of the supernatural characteristics of His Kingdom in my sphere of influence. The Lord employs angels to help my wife, Kathy, and me in our daily lives. Angels have helped establish our call and ministry. Angels are also active in many aspects of our lives including the areas of miracles, healings, as well as signs and wonders. Angels have moved mightily in protection, provision, and direction. We embrace God and angelic encounters; and angelic ministry has become a regular part of our daily lives! You can embrace angelic ministry, too.
Encounters, Experiences, Visions I began to experience supernatural encounters almost immediately after I was saved. I saw these kinds of phenomena in the Bible, so I just expected them to happen in my life, too. I did not question the mystical or supernatural side of the Kingdom of Heaven. I was not brought up in the church; therefore, I was not indoctrinated to believe that the supernatural was to be looked upon with fear and suspicion. I assumed that these were just accepted and normal parts of Christ’s Kingdom. I had not been religiously brainwashed, so I did not consider or take into account that visions and angelic encounters were not “supposed” to be routine parts of Christianity and walking with Jesus today. That is, according to most doctrine and churchy mindsets. I saw visions and angelic encounters in my old King James Bible—so I expected them as I walked with Christ. Once I was praying and asking the Lord about my future in Him. I was certain that God had a purpose for me and a new direction for my life. I started to press into the Lord for an answer to this question by fasting and praying on a daily basis. Soon I began to experience visions, or what some call third heaven encounters. Even as a babe in Christ I would embrace these phenomena; I simply thought these kinds of experiences were supposed to be normal i 26 j
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Prologue
as a Christian. In one such vision I “saw” Jesus clearly in the spirit. He was calling me to draw closer to Him. Jesus was holding out His arms, inviting and welcoming me to come into His presence. In my mind, I had a decision to make. Either I would go to Jesus, or I would dismiss this vision and continue to pray to Him in my little prayer closet. I chose to go to Him. Immediately I sensed that I was being catapulted through time and space. A short time later, I found myself in the very presence of Jesus Christ. This was my initial experience in heavenly places (see Eph. 1:3,20; 2:6). However, I soon discovered that when the Lord gave me the grace to ascend into His presence, His angels were always present in the heavenly realms around Jesus. On that cold night back in back in 2001, as Jesus wrapped His arms around me, I was overcome by the knowledge of the powerful love He has for me. I also received a divine revelation of the unimaginable love that the Savior has for every person upon the planet Earth. The Messiah desperately loves every tongue, tribe, and nation. God loves Jew and Gentile alike. Jesus has a very special place in His heart and a burning passion for the Jewish people from which His heritage springs. The Messiah desperately desires for all of the Jewish people to fully understand His Kingdom. The future will hold a wonderful time of the fulfillment of this desire of Jesus’ heart, and the Jew and the Gentile will become one in the Messiah (see Eph. 2:14-22).
I Am Calling You On that night Jesus said that He was going to tell me who I am. This, of course, was an answer to my ongoing prayers. Jesus said, “Kevin, I am calling you to be an artist, an author, and evangelist.” The words Jesus spoke to me penetrated to the very depth of my being. The Lord held me for a long time, and I wept uncontrollably in His arms of love. When I stepped back from the Lord, I saw that He was flanked by four strong angels. These enchanting creatures seemed to be overjoyed in the fact that I was standing in the very presence of Jesus. The angels welcomed me, and they smiled at me with assurance. i 27 j
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Angels in the Realms of Heaven
Jesus moved His right hand in a sweeping motion indicating the four angels that were present. He said, “Today I am assigning these angels to your ministry.” I was a new believer. This statement baffled me, as I had no ministry. Just as quickly as it began, the experience was over. However, the feeling of Christ’s supernatural love and presence rested upon me for days after that heavenly encounter. When the vision ended, I found myself back in my prayer closet weeping greatly. I continued to weep every time this vision came into my mind for several months. A few days later I was praying when I saw Jesus again. He was requesting me to come to Him for a second time. I was ready to go without hesitation. I experienced the same sensation of being launched and could feel my spirit being sucked out of my body. I came to rest in the very presence of Jesus, and He was flanked by the same four angels. I fell to my knees and began to weep once again as I felt the power of His unconditional love. Two of the angels moved to my side and helped me to stand. Then Jesus looked deeply and lovingly into my eyes. Jesus placed His nail-scarred hands upon my shoulders and told me that He was assigning the first of the four angels to me at that moment. This was the beginning of an extended season of heavenly visitations for me. During this special time, one of the angels stepped forward. This angel was about seven and a half feet tall and had long, golden locks of beautiful hair that cascaded onto his broad shoulders. I could not help but notice the power and peace that my new friend carried with his countenance. This helped to relax me and put me at ease with the unfolding events. Then the angel that the Lord was speaking of smiled at me, and I gazed into his beautiful sky blue eyes for a moment as I listened to Jesus speaking to me. Jesus told me that He was assigning this angel of protection and provision to me at that moment. My mind raced as I wondered what it meant to have an angel assigned to me. The Lord told me the angel’s name and his function or anointing. The Lord also explained to me how I could activate this angel to work on my behalf, or for the benefit of others. This angel is empowered by the Lord to grant and release provision and protection. You may be interested i 28 j
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Prologue
to know that you also have angels assigned to you with similar abilities (see Ps. 91:11). Since that encounter I have never doubted the existence of the Lord’s angelic beings nor their constant intervention in my life. When I finished working on the first book, Dancing with Angels 1, the Holy Spirit spoke to me that one of the omitted chapters entitled Angels in Heaven was meant to be sculpted into an entire book. I was instantly given heavenly revelation concerning those testimonies. They had been recorded and kept over the past decade. I realized that these early heavenly experiences, which the Lord had instructed me to write down, would give people wonderful glimpses and insights into the realms of Heaven. People would be able to have a better understanding of the very heart of God. It was from those testimonies of angelic encounters in the heavenly realms that this book was birthed. I am convinced that these testimonies will bring a smile to your face and joy into your heart as you read them. Kathy and I hope that you enjoy them and find these tiny portraits of the heart of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, and the heavenly places inspiring to your faith in God. A passage from Ephesians outlines these possibilities for our lives as we live and breathe in Christ: God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:4-8). It is important to lay a more sure foundation concerning the testimonies that I will share with you in the coming pages. Therefore, in an attempt to clarify the reality of angelic ministry and the legitimacy of these kinds of heavenly experiences I will work to build on the i 29 j
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foundation that has been laid in this Prologue in the next section of this book. Lord willing, this will help give you more insight to these supernatural testimonies as we examine them through the lens of the Scriptures. Endnotes 1. Strong’s Greek Concordance #G3614. 2. See Romans 11, 8:14,19, 9:26, Galatians 3:26, 4:6. 3. See Strong’s Greek Concordance reference #G3306. 4. See Strong’s Greek Concordance reference #G5117. 5. See 2 Corinthians 12:1-3, Ezekiel 1:1, Revelation 4:1, Genesis 28:12, and Genesis 32:2 to name but a few.
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Introduction
The Assignment of Angels
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s I have said, angelic visitations can transpire in one of two realms. We can have angelic visitations in the earthly or temporal realm—the natural realm we live in. We contact that realm with our five carnal senses. We can say that we interact with the temporal realm through our soul, which is made up of our mind, will, and emotions. We also relate to the earthly realm or the earthly environment through our bodies or flesh. As we press into the Kingdom of God, we will begin to experience segments of time when our spirit will become dominant in terms of perception. By the way, when I say “press into the Kingdom of God,” I am referring to seeking the Lord with all of our hearts. When we seek the Lord with all of our spirits, souls, and bodies, the Lord promises that we will find Him (see Jer. 29:11-14, Matt. 6:33, John 14:21). The Scriptures also tell us that we can violently seek the Kingdom of God. That is what launched me into these heavenly realms of Christ’s Kingdom. It was my passion and hunger to know Jesus Christ in a more intimate and tangible way. Your passion and hunger can also open the door of the heavens to you, too. I believe that anyone can have these kinds of supernatural experiences. It is even possible i 31 j
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that the testimonies in this book can become a prophetic word for you (see Rev. 19:10). There can be instances and periods when the Lord will call many of us to storm the gates of Heaven and to take the Kingdom by force. Again, this is what I mean when I speak of “pressing in.” Really, it is just a matter of allowing the Holy Spirit to develop a holy hunger within you. Matthew 11:12 illustrates this point: “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” Sometimes you need to take the Kingdom of Heaven by force!
The Very Image of Jesus We are created in the very image of the Creator of the heavens and the earth. We see this spelled out in Genesis 1:26, “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” The Bible clearly teaches us that God is a spiritual being who is made up of three parts. This aspect of the Lord’s nature is commonly referred to as the Trinity, composed of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Likewise, you are also created by the Lord as a triune being. You have a spirit, a soul, and a body. Apostle Paul understood this three-part composition of people and encourages us in First Thessalonians 5:23 in connection with this dynamic of our spiritual nature: “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul shares foundational truths in this Scripture pertaining to how the Lord created us as a three-part being. Paul encouraged us concerning our responsibility to grow and mature as the Lord’s children, just as human babies are created to grow into adults. Each person has a spirit. Our spirit is the “real” person of our existence, and it is our spirit that is regenerated, or “born again,” at the moment that we pray to receive the salvation of the Messiah. Our spirit i 32 j
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is at the core of our being. Your spirit is the “real you.” And it is your spirit that is actually born again and will live on in eternity with Christ in Heaven. Each person has a soul. Our soul is made up of our mind, will, and emotions. For most of us, our soul rules our daily lives. For the most part, we live our lives allowing our souls to dominate our daily activities and choices. In other words, we allow our intellect—mind, will, and emotions—to rule and reign in our daily lives and day-to-day decisions. Each person has a body, too. This, of course, is our flesh. Most people in the world are ruled by their fleshly desires. We all have basic needs each day such as food, clothing, and shelter. The carnal desires of our flesh are powerful driving forces behind most humans’ lives. This is true for the majority of Christians, too. Most born-again people never really achieve the victory that the Messiah purchased for us on the cross. Many people struggle through life. The primary reason for this is because we allow our soul—mind, will, and emotions—and our flesh to rule our lives. Few of us are really led by our spirit. Apostle Paul referred to Christians like this as "carnal Christians". In other words, people can receive Jesus Christ as Savior, and yet never really mature into the fullness of Christ’s salvation (see 1 Cor. 3:1-4). As we saw in First Thessalonians 5:23, Paul encourages you and I to be sanctified completely—spirit, soul, and body. Paul clearly delineates from the three aspects of our created nature. We need to allow the precious Holy Spirit to transform us. Scriptures tell us that we need to seek to have our minds (our souls) transformed or sanctified. Ephesians 4:22-24 outlines this Kingdom dynamic for us: Put off…your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. This Scripture in Ephesians 4 tells us that it is our responsibility to overcome or to put off the corrupt conduct and deceitful lusts that are i 33 j
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evident in our flesh. In other words we are instructed to bring our flesh into subjection to our regenerated or reborn spirits. In addition to this, we are to renew our mind. This also deals with the transformation of our soulish nature, carnal nature, or worldly mindsets. Paul is referring to the sanctifying of our soul and the reformation of our flesh. Only as we mature and begin to bring our soul and flesh into submission to our spirit can we begin to enter and entertain the spiritual aspects of Christ’s Kingdom in fullness. Some folks call this dynamic sanctification, or walking in holiness. It is important to understand that we have a part to play in this process of sanctification. We need to renew our minds according to the admonitions of Paul found in Romans 12:1-2: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Paul instructs us that it is our reasonable service to have our minds renewed. We are also instructed to bring our flesh into submission to God in holiness. That part is up to us. God does not promise to do that for us in His Word. Unfortunately, very few people actually realize the need for sanctification, and fewer still seek to implement the process of restoration and renewing of their minds, which again is an element of our soul. We can help activate the process of renewing our minds by washing our minds, will, and emotions with the power and anointing of God’s Word. So as we study God’s Word and meditate upon God’s Word in our minds (the driving force of our souls), we will be renewed and transformed into a Christlike nature. Our souls (mind, will, and, emotions) will become Christlike, and we will learn to be led by the Holy Spirit constantly. We will grow into the very nature and character of Jesus. i 34 j
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As this supernatural process begins to unfold in our lives, we will mature in Christ and initiate our transformation into His image and character. Once this happens we will be able to minister in the anointing of Jesus found in Hebrews 4:14, “we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.”
Seek Revelation, Authority, and Power We will begin to understand that we too can pass through the heavens to seek revelation, authority, and power from the very throne of God. In other words, we will begin to minister in the anointing or the mantle of Melchizedek. We will be transformed into Christlikeness and then we will represent Christ in our spheres of influence and become priests forever according to the order of Melchizedek. We will have the ability to recognize aspects from the spiritual realm and, as the Lord allows and gives us grace, actually demonstrate the ability to pass through the heavens and enter into the very presence of God—just like Christ. Scripture tells us that it is possible for you and me to mature and to grow up into the very nature and character of Jesus Christ. As we submit to this process, we will begin to see our very nature transformed. Our three-part or triune nature will begin to be turned inside out. Instead of being ruled and led by our soul and our flesh, we can be changed in a moment and in the twinkle of an eye. We will be led by our “real selves” or our spirits. Romans 8:14 tells us that “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” As children of God, our spirits can become dominant for segments of time. Our spirits can become dominant for a few seconds. Our spirits can become dominate, in terms of perception, for a few minutes, or even a few days. That is what I believe happened to me during the season I experienced the visitations into the heavenly realms that are documented in this book. When this process begins to accelerate in our lives, we will begin to perceive attributes from the spiritual realm much more clearly than we did when we were driven by our carnal mind, intellect, soul, and flesh in i 35 j
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terms of our perception. We will begin to perceive the spiritual realm in a much greater way, and the eyes of our spiritual understanding will be enlightened or opened to see, hear, taste, touch, and enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. This has been called the “seer anointing.” Of course, Jesus was our role model for this. I have outlined this aspect of Christ’s mission and ministry on the earth in great detail in the second book of this trilogy. Jesus shed His blood to make you and I kings and priests who would have the authority and the supernatural ability to have the eyes of our understanding enlightened; that we might understand the hope of His calling for each of us so we would comprehend the riches of the glory of our inheritance. That we might know the exceeding greatness of His power toward each of us who believe, through the working of His mighty power, which the Father worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places. Thus also allowing you and I to have these same supernatural privileges by blazing a trail and making a way for us to be seated at God’s right hand in the heavenly places far above all principality, power, might, dominion, and every name that is named among men. That is our calling and inheritance—and we can step into it in this lifetime (see Eph. 1:18-20, Rev. 1:5-6; 5:9-10). However, I wanted to briefly outline these Kingdom principles here so you will be aware that there are seasons in our lives when we can be led more so by our regenerated or reborn spirits than by our mind, will, emotions, and our flesh. It is during such times that the temporal realm becomes secondary to us in terms of perception. We will begin to perceive more dominantly with our spirits and the eyes of our hearts, or spiritual senses. At these times we will begin to see and experience the reality of the spiritual Kingdom of God in a great and mighty way. Our spirits will perceive the reality of the spiritual realm in a dominate fashion. Really, this dynamic is the spiritual gift of discerning of spirits that activates in our lives when we become born again, or reborn from the heavenly realms (see 1 Cor. 12:10). i 36 j
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Heaven Is Real! During these instances of time, we will begin to have supernatural experiences, such as angelic visitations. We can begin to interact with the Kingdom of Heaven and experience trances, visions, and other supernatural encounters with Christ’s Kingdom. Occasionally, we will be given grace to actually be taken into heavenly realms to interact with Christ, His Kingdom, God’s angelic beings, and various places found there. That is what this book is all about. It is an illustration of the reality of the spiritual Kingdom of Heaven. This book paints a portrait of Heaven through the eyes of a person who walked out this dynamic over an extended period of time. Of course this is only possible by the grace of God. Isn’t it a wonderful blessing that God gives us all His grace freely? I will share numerous testimonies with you of times when I was given the grace to actually ascend into the heavenly realms and to be seated with Christ Jesus in heavenly places. It could be accurately said that I was taken into Heaven by God’s Spirit and allowed to return to the earth in order to document the places, things, and culture of heavenly realms that I saw there. Heaven is real! You have a future and a heavenly home waiting for you if you are God’s child. I pray that this book will encourage you and give you a glimpse of what your heavenly home will look like. I pray that it will encourage you to draw closer to Jesus. Apostle Paul had similar experiences. In Second Corinthians 12:2, Paul testifies of these kinds of supernatural experiences saying: I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. Paul tells us that he was unsure of whether he was actually in his body or out of his body when he was taken up into the third heaven. I am not certain either, but what I am sure of is that the visions and experiences that I lived through and that I document in this book are real. It is possible that I was taken into the very realms of Heaven. I saw i 37 j
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places in Heaven, and I share those with you in this book. My prayer is that these testimonies will reveal the heart of God and His everlasting love to you. I am also sure that during this season my spirit became dominate in terms of perception. This, along with the grace and favor of God, was certainly responsible for the precious privilege of walking with Jesus in the realms of Heaven. The Lord Jesus Himself requested me to write these testimonies of Heaven that are recorded and documented in this book. He even spoke to me while I was in Heaven one day and gave me instructions as to how I was to actually acquire a personal computer to use as I wrote and documented these supernatural events. Within 48 hours after Jesus told me how to get a computer to document these heavenly visitations, I had the PC He had told me about in the heavenly realms, sitting on the kitchen table in my little house at 121 Beech Street in Bluefield, West Virginia. Most of the testimonies that are documented in this book were written using that old personal computer in that season between 2001 and 2002. Having said all of this in the hope of laying a foundation for these heavenly testimonies, let’s begin our miraculous journey together into the heart of God and the realms of Heaven.
The Marriage Supper One of the first places that the Lord allowed me to explore the heavenly realms is a wonderful place that I call the great banquet hall. I invested many hours fellowshipping with Jesus in this great room. Perhaps it will be a room such as this where we will, Lord willing, partake of the wedding supper of the Lamb of God. In the epilogue we look at what may be such a place which the apostle John documented in Revelation 19:1-9: After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! For true and righteous are i 38 j
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His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.” Again they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!” And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, “Amen! Alleluia!” Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!” And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” One thing is for sure. Heaven will be a wonderful and lively place to live in comfort for eternity! In the first chapter, you will travel to the great banquet hall with me and meet the Messiah in person. It was in that place that I invested many days just lying at the feet of Jesus. I was not speaking, not striving; I was just resting in the presence of the Lord. From those encounters in the heavenly realms, my life was transformed and the grace and favor of God seemed to permeate my very being. I pray that same anointing will also permeate your life spirit, soul, and body as you read the following testimonies of Heaven and of God’s angels therein. I pray that the subsequent testimonies will become prophetic promises for you personally (see Rev. 19:10). The following chapters document dozens of visits with the Lord in the heavenly places. It never occurred to me to write these experiences down, and I did I not have any intention to do so. I had purposed to keep i 39 j
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them treasured within my heart. I would not have written any of this had it not been for the Lord instructing me to do so during this season. Let me share with you the things that Jesus showed me in the heavenly places during that season. These testimonies will give you a wonderful portrait of the heart of the Lord, and you will also learn how Heaven appears. In Chapter 1, we will explore the Father’s house.
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Chapter 1
The Genesis
S
hortly after I was invited to ascend into the very presence of Jesus, my life began to radically change. As you may recall, I was seeking the Lord in prayer when Jesus appeared to me in a vision and invited me to come to Him. At that moment, I was unaware that it was actually possible to ascend from the earth and really enter into the very presence of Jesus in the heavenly realms. After that initial experience, visions, or what some call heavenly encounters, unfolded in my life on a regular basis.
At this point in my life I was still struggling from the consequences of my sin and iniquity. So I was still living in poverty, sickness, oppression, and daily battling addiction. I was not using drugs, but the desire to relapse was a constant temptation. I was working and sought to pray every waking moment in this season. I could not wait to finish work each day so I could return to the little house at 121 Beech Street and enter into my prayer closet. More often than not, I would experience supernatural encounters; and for a season, I was regularly allowed to ascend into the heavenly realms. I soon discovered that when the Lord gave me the grace to ascend into His presence, His angels were always present in the heavenly realms around Him. i 41 j
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After that cold night back in early 2001 when Jesus wrapped His arms around me, I became totally convinced of the reality of Christ’s Kingdom and His will for me to interact with Him in the heavens. That is Christ’s desire for you, too. That is your supernatural inheritance (see 1 Peter 1:3-4). I would rush home from work and often immediately enter into the tangible presence of the Lord. Some theologians call this kind of the weighty presence of the Lord the shekinah glory of God. It seemed that the person of the Holy Spirit was often waiting for me to unlock the front door and walk in. There were even times when I would open the front door and the power of God would be so strong in the small living room that I would fall out under the power of the Holy Spirit. I would lay prostrate on the floor for hours. Other times I would return home to the little house at 121 Beech Street and quickly clean my body from a day of painting. Then I would position myself in prayer in my prayer closet—my five by eight foot bathroom. Often during this season I would be taken up into the heavens to have encounters and visitations with Jesus. These kinds of experiences in the heavenly realms were simply a continuation of the supernatural encounters and visitations of Jesus and His angels I wrote about in Dancing with Angels 1. The main difference in these heavenly experiences was that I was encountering the Lord and His Kingdom in my own home. By the grace of God, I succeeded in opening the heavens over my life. I recount this process and give you step by step directions to repeat this supernatural procedure in my previous books. The visitations shared in this book were initiated in the temporal or carnal realm but progressed into the heavenly realm. These experiences went on consistently for more than nine months. I would daily ascend into the realms of Heaven and fellowship with the Lord Jesus. Often He would take me to different places in the Heaven. It was a wonderful and life-changing time. In the natural realm I was poor, oppressed, and struggling greatly. But spiritually I was blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as Ephesians 1:3 describes, “Blessed i 42 j
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be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” In the temporal or natural realm I was poor and oppressed; but in the spiritual realm, I was a truly blessed billionaire (see Luke 6:20)!
His Presence After the night in the heavenly realms when Jesus called me to be an artist, an author, and evangelist, the level and the grace of God greatly multiplied in my life and within my personal sphere of influence. I have written about how the Lord supernaturally prospered me through the activation and release of angelic ministry. This served to open doors for me to travel around the earth and do the work of an evangelist. Those events are discussed in Dancing with Angels 1 and 2. However, during that whole period of time I was consistently having experiences where I would be allowed to be taken up into Heaven in various ways to sit in the presence of Jesus. I will share some of those testimonies in the next few chapters. On many days and nights during this season I chose to just lie at the feet of Jesus and breathe in His presence. Christ was my portion (see Ps. 16:5). One single moment in the presence of Jesus can be life changing. The Lord was almost always accompanied by the same four strong angels that He had introduced to me the first time I went to Him in prayer. These angelic friends always seemed to be delighted by the fact that I was able to come into the very presence of Jesus in the heavenly places. They always welcomed me; I have seen them many times over the past decade, both in the heavens and also upon the earth. I know these angels of God well. The Lord had said with a sweeping motion of His right hand, “Today I am assigning these four angels to your ministry.” Those four angels have helped Kathy and me minister in many ways, in many nations, and to many people over the years. After that experience, as I was praying when I saw Jesus again, He was requesting me to come to Him for a second time. I was ready to go without hesitation. I experienced the same sensation of being launched i 43 j
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and could feel my spirit being sucked out of my body. I came to rest in the very presence of Jesus, and He was flanked by the same four angels. Almost daily over the course of the next several months I was given the grace to experience similar types of supernatural trips and translations into the heavenly realms. Again, ever since those earliest encounters I have never doubted the existence of the Lord’s angelic beings nor their constant intervention in my life. God’s angels surely intervene in your life and circumstances too, although you may not be aware of them.
An Intimate and Personal Relationship In fact, the Lord continues to allow me to ascend into the heavenly realms at times. During these experiences, I am often shown events and situations that will unfold upon the earth, or within a ministry situation. However, from the very beginning of these trips to Heaven, one of my favorite places to visit is the great banquet hall. The first several dozen times that I walked with the Lord in Heaven, I always met Him first in the great banquet hall and dined with the Messiah there. Then Jesus would take me out into the realms of the Father’s heavenly creation and show me various places and things there. Those trips will constitute the majority of the material in this book, and I hope that you enjoy the descriptions of Heaven that I share with you. Beginning in 2001, I began to make regular excursions into the great banquet hall to meet the Messiah. As I stated earlier, for a season that lasted about nine months, I visited Heaven almost on a daily basis. Here is how these supernatural excursions began. After I had returned from Canada, I was totally transformed. All of the experiences that I shared in Dancing with Angels 1 and Dancing with Angels 2 had transformed my mindset. I was not content to have a “normal” form of Christianity any longer. Attending church one day a week was not enough for me. I desperately desired to have an intimate relationship with God. I soon discovered that the Creator of Heaven and earth desperately desired to have an intimate and personal relationship with me, too. I i 44 j
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realized that there was more to Christ and His Kingdom—and I wanted it all. I would lay upon my bed and meditate upon the times that I had been taken up into the realms of Heaven—like the night near Bay Roberts, Canada, when I had walked with the Lord for hours in the heavenly realms by the sea of glass like crystal (see Rev. 4:6). I would think about how the passion and love of Jesus had touched me deep inside on November 25, 2001, in Springdale, Newfoundland. I had seen the heavens open and the angels of the Lord that evening. Later I had been visited by Jesus, and the Lord had personally called me to declare the Gospel of the Kingdom. Jesus had touched my left hand and commissioned me into the nations of the earth to preach and minister the Word of God, telling me that He would be with me everywhere I would go. Over the years this statement has been proven true as I have seen the Lord in many nations while traveling and preaching. I have seen the Lord show up as I was ministering in Tanzania, India, Italy, England, Singapore, and Ecuador, to name a few. However, when I returned to the United States, these kind of supernatural experiences dried up, and it seemed that the heavens were bronze over my head (see Deut. 28:23). I was not experiencing the same kind of intimacy with the Holy Spirit like I had encountered on Killick Island on the Bay of Exploits. I purposed in my heart to storm the gates of Heaven until I drew close to the Lord once again. I was desperate to touch the hem of His garment. I longed to have real communion with the Person of the Holy Spirit once again. I fasted and prayed for a long time until I got the breakthrough.
Portal of Glory One day I prepared myself to enter into my little prayer room. It seemed like just another day. I lay down on the old shag carpet that I had put on the floor. I prayed and repented for everything that I could think of. Then I just purposed to wait upon the Lord. After a while, I began to feel a sensation of ascending. In my spirit, I could feel myself being drawn upward. When I opened my eyes, I could see my body lying i 45 j
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on the carpet in the little house below. I continued to accelerate upward, and it seemed as if my vision switched to hyper-speed; I entered into a tunnel of sorts leaving the earth below. The tunnel or portal was made up of light, and I seemed to be traveling through it at the speed of sound. The sensation was quite remarkable. I relaxed and purposed within my heart to enjoy the ride. I began to look at the walls of light that compromised the tunnel. The colors were amazing, reminding me of how the tiny snowflakes had phosphoresced and supernaturally reflected the sunlight on Killick Island. It was a thrilling sight, and I became engrossed in examining the walls of light on the tunnel as I was accelerating upward. I could feel my body twisting and turning much like you might experience if you were riding a roller coaster on earth. I twisted and turned and accelerated skyward at the speed of sound for a long time. Unexpectedly there was an ethereal light at the end of the tunnel. Suddenly the tunnel began to turn downward and I slid out the end of the tunnel in much the same way that you would slip off a tall sliding board into a swimming pool. For an instant my vision was blurry, and I landed upon my hands and knees. I gasped for air, but I was not injured at all. I looked down at my hands and noticed that I was kneeling upon smooth stones. The joints of the stones were impeccably joined and there was no mortar in the cracks. I could smell the pungent fragrances of flowers and the smell of frankincense filled my nose. I was wondering where I was when I felt two pairs of strong hands lift me up to a standing position.
Angelic Welcome On my left and right were two angels. They were smiling at me and welcoming me to this place. I looked at each one in turn and realized that these were two of the four angels that Jesus had assigned to me earlier. Both angels were gazing at me benevolently; I had a knowing that they were very glad I was with them. I also knew that I was in the i 46 j
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heavenly places. A gentle breeze ruffled my hair, and I took my first look at Heaven. I was standing upon a beautiful stone pathway. In my mind I purposed in my heart to look at these stones in more detail later, because of the amazing craftsmanship needed to create them. I could see manicured grounds and what seemed to be an endless sea of fields, orchards, and well-tended rose gardens that covered the land nearby. The fragrance I was experiencing was wafting up from the incredibly beautiful botanical gardens. They stretched out for miles before me. In the distance I saw a beautiful, crystal clear river meandering peacefully through the gardens. I wondered if there were any bass in the river, and I had the desire to hike down to it one day. Glancing to my left I saw a massive stone home situated perfectly upon a peak. I noticed that the stone pathway I was standing on led to the entrance of the home, or what may have actually been a castle. In perfect luminosity, the stone castle reflected the radiance of the ethereal light of this place. In fact, the castle seemed to glow in the evening sunshine at that precise moment. The house seemed to be beckoning to me in the spirit. I could hear harps and stringed instruments worshiping, and I was certain that the music was coming from the open arched windows of the home. Suddenly I realized that the music was the same as what I had heard when the heavens had opened in Canada. I could hear angelic singing, but was unable to understand the language of the songs. It seemed that I had been frozen in time, yet only a few seconds had transpired since I had landed on the pathway. I looked at the two angels a second time to see them gently smiling at me. The angel holding my left arm released his grip and pointed at the stone castle. It was about four hundred feet above me and about a quarter mile away. I could see that the stone pathway led in the direction of the castle. I understood that I should walk to it. I took a few steps on the smooth, light-colored stones; and for the first time, I could feel the coolness of them on the soles of my bare feet. It was refreshing i 47 j
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Angels in the Realms of Heaven
and surprising at the same time. I looked down and noticed that I was barefooted. I turned to look at the two angels again and saw them wave goodbye to me. They smiled and turned to walk in the opposite direction on the pathway.
Up Toward the Castle I understood that they had other chores to do. Had the pair of angels come to welcome me, or perhaps they actually played a role in transporting me to this place? After all, I had once been taken up into the heavenly places by an angel that dropped me off in the very presence of Jesus. Thinking about this made me smile, and I turned to gaze at the manicured gardens below. Once again the wind tousled my hair, and the pleasant aromas of this place assaulted my sense of smell, causing the smile on my face to expand. I enjoyed these new smells as I walked about on the stone pathway leading toward the castle. As I walked, I listened carefully to the worship that filled the air in this place. It was delightful. On earth we would call it anointed, and it seemed to be tangible. Although I could not understand the words, I knew that the lyrics glorified the Lamb of God. This also made my heart leap with joy. After a short while, I came to a place where the pathway diverged. One part led down the knoll to the hundreds of manicured gardens. From this vantage point I could see what looked like a circular fountain, and beyond that the crystal clear river flowed through the middle of the gardens. I knew that it was the presence of the river that gave the plants and gardens their source of life and helped them bear much fruit. I had a strong desire to walk down to the gardens, but I knew I was supposed to visit the castle first. Off to my left, obscured by flowery vines and other foliage, was a stone walkway that led to a perfectly positioned set of stairs. The beautiful flowering vines released a pungent fragrance similar to honeysuckle. The wonderful bouquet of the flowers swirled thickly in the air near a gate. They were brilliantly colored i 48 j
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The Genesis
crimson and purple flowers that almost obscured the entrance and the metal gate. The gate was fashioned of what appeared to be precious metals, which surprised me. On earth, few gates are welded together using gold, silver, platinum, and other precious metals. I had to move the flowering vines to reach the gate with my right hand. As I opened the small polished gate, the sun reflected off the material sending colors flying into the air. I walked through, closed the gate behind me, and began to climb the stairs. The stairway was flanked by two stone walls that were topped with perfectly smooth and joined stones. Once again I wondered about the precision of the craftsmanship that was used in the construction of these walls and stairs. There was no mortar visible, and the stones seemed to be joined perfectly together in some sort of supernatural manner. As I walked up the stairway, I stopped from time to time at small flat landings and looked out onto the gardens and the river below. These flat spots seemed to be rest areas that had been purposely incorporated into the design of the stairway. I rested my hands upon the smooth stones and gazed out at Heaven. Occasionally, I could feel tiny plants beneath my hands, so I stooped to look at them. I was astonished to see very tiny flowers growing on plants that spilled artfully over the polished stones. These miniature flowers were the most beautiful shade of purple I had ever seen. It occurred to me that these were not random but rather had been specifically placed there by a master gardener. I spent a long time looking at them individually and stooped to smell their aroma. It was amazing that such a small group of flowers could have such a concentrated scent. This Scripture came into my mind, “Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these� (Matt. 6:29). I am certain that everything on earth is merely a reflection of the reality of Heaven. This thought also made me smile, and it leaped within my spirit with great joy. I continued my supernatural trek up the secret stairway. I found myself in awe of my surroundings and the obvious attention to detail that was characteristic of this miraculous place. i 49 j
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When I reached the top of the stairway, I came to a large, oval balcony. It was perfectly positioned to allow a spectacular view of the landscape and gardens below. I walked over to lean against the stone wall there and continued to gaze out upon the beautiful countryside below. This was God’s country. Within my heart I desired to visit those places someday. With so many incredible places to go to see, it would take me an eternity to investigate and explore them all, especially the places that looked to be promising and prime fishing spots along the river. I made a mental note to bring my rod and reel, if possible, on my next trip here. This thought caused a chuckle to bubble up from within my spirit, and a smile once again divided my face. Pure joy enveloped me at that instant. I lingered there for a long time taking in the view. All the while angelic worship filled my ears and the fragrances of Heaven wafted into my nose from below. I became lost in my thoughts and time without end seemed to pass me by. The evening sun began to descend, and when it reached a perfect angle, the river below exploded with glorious light bringing my mind back to my present circumstances. I heard a soft sound coming from behind me, and I turned to see what it was.
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Author and Ministry Contact Information Kevin and Kathy would love to hear your testimonies about angelic encounters for possible use in future publications. To submit testimonies contact them by email. King of Glory Ministries International is available to teach the material covered in this book in much greater depth in our Dancing with Angels School of the Supernatural. This school is available in DVD and CD sets. For more information or to order resources from Kevin Basconi, please visit our Web page at: www.kingofgloryministries.org. Email: info@kingofgloryministries.org Phone: 336-921-2825 or 816-308-2786 Mailing Address: King of Glory Ministries International PO Box 903 Moravian Falls, NC 28654
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Mor avian Falls Miniature Art Gallery When Kevin Basconi visited Jesus in Heaven the Lord spoke to him telling Kevin; "I have called you to be an artist, an author, and an evangelist". Kevin has sought to be obedient to the Lord in this. To see some of Kevin's art at the Moravian Falls Miniature Art Gallery, please visit our online art gallery to help support our ongoing humanitarian outreaches to build homes for at-risk children and feed widows and orphans at: www.MoravianFallsminiatureartgallery.com. A portion of the sales of all art purchased from this site will be used to help feed orphans in undeveloped nations. Thanks for your support in this worthwhile cause. Donate directly to our humanitarian works from Canada, the United States, or the United Kingdom. You can also donate directly to our humanitarian work in undeveloped countries. If you are a citizen of Canada, the United States, or the United Kingdom, you can give directly through Hope For The Nations, and your gift will be tax deductible in your home country. Look for the Hope For The Nations link on the King of Glory Ministries Web page: www.hopeforthenations.com.
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King of Glory Ministries International King of Glory Ministries International is all about the commission of Jesus Christ. The words of Isaiah 61 can be used to concisely summarize the call of our ministry: The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified (Isaiah 61:1-3). We, Kevin and Kathy Basconi, have sought to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom to the lost in many nations. As of this writing, we have visited more than thirty nations and five continents to proclaim the truth of Christ’s total salvation and healing message—the Gospel of the Kingdom that Jesus instructed His disciples to proclaim. (See Matthew 4:23, 9:35, 24:14.) We have preached to hundreds of thousands of people and have seen tens of thousands make the decision to receive Jesus Christ as
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Lord and Savior. We continue to minister in large crusade outreaches in Africa and other nations today as opportunity allows, and as the Spirit leads. We also minister in churches, King of Glory International Schools, and conference meetings in various nations. The other critical calling of King of Glory Ministries International is to minister the love of the Father to widows and orphans. This humanitarian aspect of our call is defined in James 1:27 and Psalm 68:5. James 1:27 says, “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” God has birthed in us a heart to minister in deed and not word alone. We also see this aspect of the Father’s heart in Psalm 68:5, “A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation.” (See the Orphanage tab on our Web page for more information about this important aspect of King of Glory Ministries International.)
About Kevin and K athy Basconi Kevin and Kathy Basconi are ordinary people who love an extraordinary God and co-founded King of Glory Ministries International. They have a heart to share the Gospel with the poor and the love of the Father to widows and orphans. They have visited thirty nations preaching the gospel and demonstrating the Kingdom of God in churches, conferences, and crusade meetings. They live in the mountains where they pursue a lifestyle of intimacy with Jesus. Kevin is an ordained minister accredited with World Ministry Fellowship of Plano, Texas. King of Glory Ministries International is also connected to the apostolic leadership of Pastor Alan and Carol Koch of Christ Triumphant Church located in Lee’s Summit, Missouri.
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Other Books by Kevin Basconi Dancing with Angels 1—How to Work with the Angels in Your Life. Dancing with Angels 2—The Role of the Holy Spirit and Open Heavens in Activating Angelic Encounters in Your Life 31 Word Decrees that Can Revolutionize Your Life God’s Prophetic Warning for America; Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem Now! Coming soon: Angels and Orphans
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